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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26646223">Grief</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSophieStark/pseuds/CaptainSophieStark'>CaptainSophieStark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:02:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26646223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSophieStark/pseuds/CaptainSophieStark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Request: This is kind of a sad idea, but could you do Molly and George in a mental hospital after the war. The two of them didn't take Fred's death well and now they are here.</p><p>It's Christmas time, and after dinner with their families, it's time for the Weasleys who are still standing to visit Molly and George. Some challenges never get easier.</p><p>Just a heads up, this is straight up angst.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>George Weasley &amp; Weasley Family, Molly Weasley &amp; Weasley Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Grief</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Alright, on three then! One, two, three!"</p><p>Right on cue, Ron yanked one end of the Christmas cracker as his oldest nephew James did the same. A large hat with a vulture came out, and Ron laughed as he held it up to show the table.</p><p>"Look everyone! Just like Neville's grandmother's!"</p><p>Harry, Ginny, and Hermione burst out laughing along with Ron, and their kids looked at the adults like they were crazy. Of course they were too young to know anything about that fateful Defense Against the Dark Arts class, when Lupin helped Neville conjure the one and only Severus Snape in Neville's grandmother's clothes. James was the oldest kid at the table, and he still had a few years to go before he even started at Hogwarts.</p><p>Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny carried on laughing as their Christmas tradition continued. The four friends and their kids got together every year for Christmas dinner, to eat and laugh and enjoy each other's company, and to do their best to have fun despite the missing members around their table.</p><p>"Alright Harry, we'd better get going," Ron said finally. Ginny stood with him, and the tone of the adults turned somber, although of course the kids didn't notice.</p><p>"Of course. Hermione and I'll be here waiting with the kids when you two get back."</p><p>Ron nodded, then kissed Hermione goodbye and headed for the door. Ginny said goodbye to Harry and joined her brother, and as soon as they reached the front porch they apparated away.</p><p>The two redheads reappeared far away from Godric's Hollow, now in downtown London instead. They stood in front of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, waiting.</p><p>"I feel like this gets harder every year," said Ginny, crossing her arms and curling into herself to protect against the cold.</p><p>"I know. Maybe one of these days it'll finally start getting easier."</p><p>Ginny nodded, but didn't say anything. Silence fell over the pair as they waited, speechless in the cold December night. Despite the snow on the ground, neither of the two wanted to go inside earlier than they absolutely had to.</p><p>After a few minutes of waiting, the rest of the redheads popped into view. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Percy arrived, one after another, and joined Ron and Ginny on the hospital steps.</p><p>"Happy Christmas, Dad," said Ron, and Ginny gave him a hug.</p><p>"Thank you, Ron. It's good to see you both." Mr. Weasley took a deep, steadying breath, determined to stay strong for his kids as long as he could. "Well, shall we head inside then?"</p><p>He was met with a round of silent nods, and the Weasley family resolutely walked through the hospital doors.</p><p>The family of six (which should have been nine) walked the familiar path to the fourth floor, the one that housed permanent residents. The staff gave them somber nods as they passed, the family continuing until they reached the familiar pair of beds towards the end of the ward.</p><p>Molly and George sat there, babbling to themselves. They didn't seem to notice the arrival of their family members yet, or much of anything around them for that matter.</p><p>An orderly was just finishing up at their bedside. She had been helping Molly and George since Fred's death, and despite her blonde (and not red) hair, she was basically part of the family.</p><p>"How are they doing?" asked Bill in a low voice as the orderly—Anna—approached. Mr. Weasley couldn't take his eyes off Molly, and whenever the family made these visits it fell on Bill's shoulders to step up and take the lead once the family got inside.</p><p>"I hate to say it Bill, but they're not much better," Anna said. "Losing Fred... well, it broke them. I don't know if they're ever going to be able to come all the way back from it."</p><p>Mr. Weasley let out a faint whimper, and Bill had to look away to gather himself. Percy looked at the ground as Charlie put one arm around Ginny, who squeezed Ron's hand tightly. The news wasn't new, but it still hurt to hear.</p><p>"Sorry Bill. I should've waited until after Christmas for this conversation," Ana said.</p><p>"No, that's okay. I'd prefer you tell us the truth as soon as you know it rather than give us false hope." Bill swallowed hard, fighting to keep his voice from breaking. "Are they— uh, are they at least having fewer... episodes?"</p><p>"Yes, actually, they haven't had any since we got rid of the mirrors."</p><p>Molly and George had mirrors in their area when they'd first arrived, but seeing George's reflection sent them both spiraling. Molly would claw at the mirror, trying to reach what she believed was her deceased son, and George wouldn't move an inch as he stared at his reflection, talking to the mirror for hours on end as if it were his twin. Both patients screamed and fought like hell when the orderlies tried to remove the mirrors, so they had to wait until the two went to sleep to take them away. It took a while to get every mirror in the hospital that the pair came in contact with, but now that they were all gone there was at least hope of some improvement.</p><p>"Well, I suppose that's good," said Bill. He took a deep breath, then turned his full attention back to Anna. "Thank you for being here for them on Christmas. It means the world to us."</p><p>"Happy to help, Bill. It's my job, and even if it wasn't, they're both sweethearts. I couldn't think of better people to spend the day with."</p><p>Bill smiled gratefully at Anna, and she gave his shoulder a squeeze before saying goodbye to the family for the night. Her shift would be over soon, and until then she wanted to give them some space.</p><p>Arthur was the first to move forward, going to sit beside his wife. She didn't recognize him at first, and when she turned to him it was like she was looking through him. Still, he held her hand and talked to her, filling her in on everything that the kids and grandkids had done since his last visit. Percy wasn't far behind, going straight to George. Percy had been in St. Mungo's himself for a brief stretch after watching Fred die, and he was determined to do everything he could to see his brother recover the way he had.</p><p>"Do you think they're ever going to get any better?" asked Ginny, shaking her head and staying back with Bill as Charlie and Ron moved forward.</p><p>"I honestly don't know Gin. I'd like to think so, but it's been so long now..." He trailed off, unable or unwilling to complete the thought. "Well, we can't think like that. We have to stay positive, and do everything we can to help them come back to us."</p><p>Bill pulled his baby sister in for a tight hug, then walked towards his brother. They didn't want to overwhelm Molly and George, so they always split in half for their visits to avoid a crowd of people around one bed.</p><p>Ginny clenched and unclenched her fists a few times, taking deep, determined breaths before walking to Molly. It just about killed her to see her mother like this, to know they'd never be able to talk and laugh and argue like they used to. She sat on the edge of the bed with Charlie and her dad, listening to her mother talk about Fred like he was still here. Carrying on like a crazy woman about Freddie, when really she'd been talking to George as if he were both her sons.</p><p>Ginny didn't make it long before tuning her mother out. The guilt was killing her, but hearing her Molly talk that way was even worse.</p><p>Ron, meanwhile, was having a similar experience with George. Percy kept talking to him with incredible patience and kindness, like absolutely nothing was wrong with the situation at hand. And Bill, as always, managed to keep up a strong image for the rest of the family. Ron was trying to follow their lead, but it wasn't easy.</p><p>George was his older brother. Sure, he and Fred got on Ron's nerves all the time, but they were still family. He looked up to them. They were the reason he had such a fear of spiders, but now whenever he saw a spider it just reminded him of the twins.</p><p>That was the worst part of it, for Ron. Going from "the twins" to just "George". They were inseparable, and it didn't seem right that they'd been torn apart like this. How could you have one without the other?</p><p>The six healthy Weasleys kept visiting with their loved ones for a while, trying to lighten the mood whenever possible. They took turns reminding each other that it was more about Molly and George than it was about them, and they could lean on each other and cry about the hell they'd been thrown into later.</p><p>The family had to be careful what they brought Molly and George, since small things could trigger pretty violent reactions. Still, Molly beamed over the pictures of dragons Charlie brought her, and George actually gave Percy a hug when he offered a nice warm blanket that was George's favorite color.</p><p>The family stayed together as long as they could, but Molly and George got tired easily with so many visitors around. Before long, it was time for the family to leave again, waving as they promised another visit in the next few days.</p><p>Six hearts broke simultaneously when Molly called out "The twins and I will miss you!"</p><p>The Weasleys were breathing like they'd run a marathon as they cleared the hospital doors and stepped into the cool night air. They turned to each other, wrapping the closest person in a tight hug as they let the tears fall, now that they didn't have to be strong anymore.</p><p>"I can't take this anymore," Ginny cried between sobbing breaths. "I hate seeing them like this."</p><p>"I got better. They'll get better too, we just have to give them time." Percy sounded like he didn't even believe himself.</p><p>"Oh shove it Perce. They're not going to get better, it's going to be like this for the rest of our lives," Ron said miserably.</p><p>"We have to tell the kids soon," said Bill, staring holes into the ground. "They're getting old enough that we're going to have to find a way to explain this to them."</p><p>Charlie put his arm around Bill as Percy rested a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"We don't envy you having to be the first one to do it, Bill," said Charlie. "We'll all be here for you, for anything you need."</p><p>"Thanks Char. I know."</p><p>They stood like that for a while longer, holding each other and letting the freezing weather distract them from the omnipresent dark cloud that first showed up after Fred's death.</p><p>"Alright, enough of this," Mr. Weasley said finally, taking a deep breath and rallying his children. They were outside again, and it was time for him to take the burden back from Bill. "If we don't get going, we won't make it to our restaurant before it closes, and now's not the day to break a tradition."</p><p>On the first visit to St. Mungo's after Fred's death, when Percy had still been a patient, the five Weasley family members had left feeling even lower than they did now. None of them wanted to stay in the cold, but none of them wanted to go home, and none of them wanted to leave each other's company. They wandered around for a few minutes, eventually stumbling on a diner around the corner that appeared to stay open through everything, all the time. Being there wasn't a happy memory, but it became a tradition to make a stop after every hospital visit. That way they could just sit, and be together, and recover a little better before going home to their families, and especially their kids.</p><p>As the family walked down the street, they passed people laughing and smiling together, enjoying the holiday cheer. It was hard not to be bitter, knowing they'd never again experience a Christmas with their entire family, even if Molly and George did recover. Each warmly lit house they passed and each yard where the kids were having a snowball fight only served to twist the knife, but each of the Weasleys managed to soldier on.</p><p>And each knew without a doubt that, without each other, it would have truly been impossible to survive.</p>
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